July 6th. 1806
Set out a little after sunrise passed the creek a
little above our encampment.
| East |
14 M. |
to the point at which the river leaves the
extensive plains and enters the mountains
these plains I called the prarie of
the knobs from a number of knobs being
irregularly scattered through it. passed
the N. fork[8]
of the Cokahlarishkit River
at 7 M. it is 45 yds. wide deep and
rapid. had some difficulty in passing
it. passed a large crooked pond at 4
Ms. further, great Number of the burrowing
squirr[e]ls in this prarie of the
speceis common to the plains of Columbia
saw some goats and deer. the
hunters killed one of the latter. the
trail which we take to be a returning
war-party of the Minnetares of Fort de
prarie becomes much fresher. they have
a large pa[r]sel of horses. saw some
Curloos, bee martains wood peckers
plover, robins, doves, ravens, hawks
and a variety of sparrows common to
the plains also some ducks. the North
fork is terbid as is also the main branch
which is about 50 yds. wide the other
streams are clear. these plains continue
their course S. 75 E. and are wide where
the river leaves them. up this valley
and creek a road passes to Dearbourn's
river and thence to the Missouri. |
| N. 60 E. |
1 1/2 |
up the river. here we halted and dined
and our hunters overtook us with a deer
which they had killed. river bottoms
narrow and country thickly timbered.
Cotton-wood and pine grow intermixed
in the river bottoms musquitoes extreemely
troublesome. we expect to meet
with the Minnetares and are therefore
much on our guard both day and night.
the bois rague[9]
in blume. saw the common
small blue flag and peppergrass.
the southern wood and two other speceis
of shrub are common in the prarie of
knobs, preserved specemines of them.
passed several old Indian encampments
of brush lodges. |
| S. 80 E. |
2 M. |
to two nearly equal forks of the river
here the road forks also one leading up
each branch these are the forks of which
I presume the indians made mention.[10]
passed a creek on N. side 12 Yds. wide
shallow and clear. |
| N. 75 E. |
8 M. |
to our encampment of this evening over
a steep high balld toped hill for 2 M.
thence through and to the left of a large
low bottom 2 M. thence three miles
through a thick wood along the hill side
bottoms narrow. thence one M. to our
encampment on a large creek some little
distance above it's mouth through a
beatifull plain on the border of which
we passed the remains of 32 old lodges.
they appear to be those of the Minnetares
as are all those we have seen to day.
killed five deer and a beaver today. encamped
on the creek much sign of
beaver in this extensive bottom. |
|
25 |
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